Natalie Kelley, the founder of Plenty and Well, is a chronic illness mindset coach and content creator based in Portland, Oregon. After years of struggling, she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 2017 at 21-years-old. She had begun getting sick her sophomore year of college, noticing herself running to the bathroom multiple times on her runs, curled up in a ball crying in pain on her dorm bed, and unable to stomach most foods in the dining hall. She knew something was wrong, but due to struggling with an eating disorder at the time, was dismissed by doctors for almost two years.
Finally, after heightened symptoms and demanding a colonoscopy, Nat was diagnosed and her road to healing and finally feeling better began. She had begun her blog and brand a few years prior as a way to share about health and wellness, but after her diagnosis she changed paths to discuss life with chronic illness and provide support for others. In 2018, Nat had a life-altering flareup and hospitalization (almost exactly a year after her diagnosis) after weeks of intense blood loss and the inability to eat or even drink water without crying in pain. It was this experience in the hospital that Nat realized mindset work was the missing piece on her chronic illness journey, and she needed to learn to accept her illness or risk more hospital stays like that. After realizing this missing piece and going on her own wild mindset journey, she obtained multiple mindset coaching and life coaching certifications, allowing her to make mindset coaching programs specific to folks with chronic illnesses.
She has worked with multiple 1:1 clients and her group program, The Path to Empowered Acceptance, has over 140 alumni by the second round of 2022. Nat’s main mission is to help individuals find acceptance, confidence, and joy on their journeys through mindset tools and self-awareness, without toxic positivity or invalidation of the struggles folks face with their illnesses.
